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River City Girls
River City Girls (熱血硬派くにおくん外伝 リバーシティーガールズ, "Hot-Blooded Tough Guy Kunio Side Story: River City Girls" ) is a beat 'em up role-playing game in the Kunio-kun franchise developed by WayForward and published by Arc System Works. The second spin-off game in the franchise, it was released on September 5, 2019 for PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch (on the Nintendo eShop), Sony PlayStation 4 (through the PlayStation Store) and Xbox One (via Microsoft Store) The game is directed by Adam Tierney and Bannon Rudis. Rudis previously worked on River City Ransom: Underground, and was approached by Tierney, who wanted to take the River City franchise into a new goofy, zany directionRiver City Girls Wants to "Beat You Over the Head" With Character (USGamer). The two then sought out Priscilla Hamby (Rem), the illustrator of the Devil's Candy webcomic, to re-imagine the characters of the franchiseWe Talk To WayForward About All Things River City Girls! (GoNintendo). Tierney and Rudis wanted the characters and presentation to awe the audience. The game departs drastically from previous games in the series with expressive combat and bizarre mechanics, creating a unique system that sets the game apart from other games in the franchise while still having elements from it. Like River City Ransom: Underground, which celebrated the original River City Ransom and the NES era, River City Girls also celebrates the franchises of Technōs Japan. Although billed as a canonical game in the Kunio-kun franchiseDestructoid article, We chatted with WayForward about River City Girls' ass-kicking heroines and the Kunio-kun legacy (Destructoid), the game does not follow the continuity started with Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Special. It also ignores and contradicts old continuity from previous games in the franchise. Limited Run Games released a physical edition of the gameLimited Run Games will release a physical edition of the game.. Development The game is the first collaboration between Arc System Works and WayForward, but it is the second time that WayForward works on an intellectual property that previously belonged to Technōs Japan Corp. (they previously worked on Double Dragon Neon). The game was in development for nearly three years River City Girls Questions Answered By Game Director Adam Tierney – Insight For The Big Fight. (HappyGamer). Adam Tierney approached Bannon Rudis with the idea to co-direct a new entry in the River City series and take the game in a new direction. Once Rudis saw what Tierney had done, he agreed to work on the game. The goal was to create a River City Ransom game in the style of Shantae (WayForward's flagship series), more expressive and larger in presentation than previous games in the Kunio-kun franchise. The aim of the game was to exude style, with each character having their own unique moves that would accentuate their personalities. As assistant director, Rudis tried to the game's fighting mechanics as close to an Arc System Works fighting game as possible while minimizing the play controls and inputs to make the game have more in common with the Super Smash Bros. games or Dragon Ball FighterZ. Rudis also worked the game's lead animator Kay Yu to decide how each attack should look like. A director at WayForward introduced Tierney to Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, while the game was in development and he instantly fell in love with both Kyōko and Misako, the two playable female characters in the game. WayForward wanted these two characters to take the lead role as they have already created games with strong female protagonists. During development, Tierney learned from Arc System Works that Kyōko and Misako were no longer acting as the girlfriends for the main protagonists of the franchise, Kunio and Riki. Riki had been with Mami longer than Kyōko (she was Riki's girlfriend in only two games) while Hasebe is often linked with Kunio (though she is only his love interest in Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki da yo Zen'in Shūgō!. This led to discussions of creating a rivalry between the girls for the game's plot. Most of the game's staff was new, mostly regarding the game's art, music and animation. Chipzel composed most of the boss battle music and arranged the boss theme from the original River City Ransom. Megan McDuffee composed the tracks for the stages, cinematics, menus and nearly everything else, some of these tracks include full vocal tracks. She arranged music from River City Ransom and Kunio-tachi no Banka. Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle), Cristina Vee (who voices Hasebe in the game) and Dale North also worked on the soundtrack. The manga-style cutscenes were illustrated by Priscilla Hamby while Cristina Vee directed the voice actors in each scene. WayForward VFX artist Jordan Vine animated the sequences while Kevin Samuels from WayForward's SFX department added sound effects. From the start, it was decided that the game would use pixel art to connect it to previous games in the Kunio-kun franchise. Story Misako is currently in detention at River City High, accompanied by her best friend Kyoko (even though she does not attend the school, she is also on detention). While Misako is dying of boredom of Mr. Rudis' math, Kyoko receives exciting yet alarming news on her phone: a picture of Kunio and Riki, the heroes of River City High and their boyfriends, being kidnapped. Kyoko and Misako decide to spring into action, the only thing standing in their way is the school faculty, who sics the students at them, and the school's Defense Force. Gameplay Before starting the game the player can choose from three different save files. Following that they can choose the number of players (either one or two), then the game's difficulty (Normal or Hard). The final option is to enable or disable friendly fire. The game has no online functionality. Players can then choose their characters, either Kyoko or Misako. Both characters play similarly, but each has unique moves and animations. In most areas where combat is initiated, chains and a lock will surround the edges of the screen (referred in-game as a screenlock. At this point, similarly to Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun and Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, the player will be unable to leave the area until all enemies are defeated. Defeated enemies will drop money when defeated, just like in River City Ransom. Each character has their own separate levels, experience and money balance like in River City Ransom: Underground. However, the completion of quests grant experience and money rewards to both characters, ensuring that the one that the player is not using in a single player game does not fall behind in levels or money. As bosses are defeated in the game, enemies become stronger. If two players are playing together and one of them is knocked out and loses all of their health, it is possible for the other player to revive them by repeatedly kicking them while they are down. An angel leaving the character's body will act as a timer so that the other player can perform the revival as fast as possible. The angel gets nearer to the body as the downed character is hit. Once introduced, Godai will have players undertake numerous side quests, and like previous beat 'em ups in the series, they will be able to enter various shops to purchase items, food and gear to learn new abilities and increase stats. There are also various NPCs that the player can interact with. When a character gains a level, their stats increase. Similarly to River City Ransom: Underground, characters gain the ability to learn new moves with a level, but they must be purchased in Dojos. Characters will gain some moves when leveling up which do not have to be purchased in a dojo. Upon defeating the final enemy in an area, they might beg for their life. Grabbing them then pressing a certain button will allow the player to recruit themRiver City Girls to Feature a “Pokémon-Like Character-Collection Aspect” of 50+ Recruitable Enemies. (OnlySP). They can then be used to assist the player. The player can pick up various objects during the game and use them as weapons, but they will break apart after being used multiple times. Some areas of the game have Sabu statues, which can be broken. Players are rewarded when all 25 of them are destroyed. Pause Menu Pressing the Start button pauses all action in the game and opens up an interactive menu using the character's phone: * Character: Status screen of the current character, showing their stats and the consumable items that they are carrying. * Map: Shows all six regions of River City and quests in progress or completed. Pressing the Light Attack button shows a map of the current area where the player is located. * Movelist: Displays all the available moves for the current character. * Accessories: Allows the player to equip two different accessories from a list that they have gathered. * Recruits: Shows a list of all enemies that have been recruited. * Settings: Shows most of the settings available from the Mode Select screen. Money When enemies are defeated, they will drop money. Money can be used to purchase consumable items, which increase the character's life meter, accessories for each character with various special effects, and new moves in the dojos. If a character loses all of their health, they will be knocked out and lose half of their money. This can be avoided in a two player game if another character revives the knocked out character. Completing quests and boss fights rewards the player with money and experience which is shared by all characters. Stats The game's level cap is 30. * ST (Stamina): Character's maximum health. The maximum is 39. * SP (Special): The meter used to perform special moves. Maxes out at 27. * AT (Attack): How much damage a character makes with their attacks. The maximum is 25. * AG (Agility): The character's moving speed when walking or running. 22 is the maximum. * WP (Weapon): Damage done with weapons. The maximum is 20. * LK (Luck): When defeated in Normal difficulty, enemies may randomly drop food items that replenish stamina. This stat, which maxes out at 15, determines this frequency. Controls & Moves The game has a Light Attack button, used to perform combo attacks, and Strong Attack button, which can be used as a combo finisher or to knock down enemies (A similar system was used in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, which was inspired on River City Ransom and other beat 'em ups). A separate button is used to jump, while the remaining face button is used to perform a Special Attack. When one of these attacks (such as Misako's Stone Hands or Kyoko's Dragon Feet) is acquired by the player, an SP Meter will appear below the character's Stamina Meter (the Life Gauge). The right trigger button is used to block and, when blocking as soon as an attack lands on the blocking character, a parry can be performed. The left trigger is used to call in Recruits when they are available. Pressing the Light Attack while on top of a weapon allows a character to grab and use them. Pressing the Block button drops the weapon, while the Strong Attack button has the character throw them. Unlike previous River City Ransom games, characters cannot jump while they have a two handed weapon such as a box or trash can. If a character is wielding a weapon of any kind, they cannot dodge up or down, but they can still wall jump. Like in Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, weapons can be used for a limited amount of time before they break. Double tapping left or right allows the character to run in that direction, while double tapping up or down allows characters to dodge in that respective direction (similarly to Streets of Rage 3). Characters can wall jump by pressing the Jump button when in contact with a wall. When enemies are hit multiple times, they will be stunned and can be grabbed from the front or from behind. Using the Light Attack button from the front allows characters to hit the enemy multiple times, the Strong Attack button is used to throw them. From behind, the Light Attack button performs a knockdown attack. Accessories Players can outfit their characters with up to two Accessories. Accessories can be bought in stores, some are earned from completing in-game quests and others are acquired after defeating bosses. If the accessory needs to be purchased, each character needs to purchase them individually. Otherwise, all characters receive an accessory once awarded. Weapons Most areas in the game have weapons scattered in the area, which the player is free to pick up and use at any time. Like in Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, weapons can be broken if they are used multiple times. Nishimura sells books that allows characters to use weapons infinitely, but the books must remain in the character's inventory. Weapons are split into four types and Nishimura sells a book for each. While holding a two-handed weapon, characters cannot run or jump. Weapons always have friendly fire enabled, and will hit a second player if they are tossed in their direction. Players can also be hit by their own weapons if they throw them and they are too close to them. Areas The game's world is split into six areas. Players progress through them in a linear manner, just like Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun and Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka. Like the former game and River City Ransom, the player is free to return to previous areas, but they must complete certain battles and objectives to go to the new locations in their current area. To be able to go to the next area in the map, the player must defeat the boss of that area. Some locations have bus stations, which allows players to easily move from one area of the map to another once they have access to them. They can be used at no cost to the player. * River City High School: The starting area of the game, the player starts in one of the classrooms. The school has three floors and the player can also access its roof, but not immediately. Some areas of the school are locked. The player needs to defeat Misuzu, the area's boss, to gain a key that opens locked doors inside the school. * Crosstown: This area begins right outside River City High. The player has access to two bus stops, five shops and one of the game's dojos. Crosstown has a huge mall, but to access it the player first needs to get the keys from its guard, Pattinson. The mall has most of the shops in the area and some of them sell accessories. Past the mall outside is a construction site, where the player can find the area's boss, Yamada. * Uptown: The area the player reaches past the mall from the inside, which they gain access to after defeating Yamada. Uptown has one bus stop and four shops. One of these shops is Skullmaggedon's Pawn Shop, which the player needs to access to be able to fight the area's boss, Hibari. Defeating Hibari opens up the Downtown area of the map. Uptown also has the Coin-Up Arcade, the music composed by Dale North can be heard here by standing near each arcade, and it will switch accordingly as the player moves around them. * Downtown: The area right after Uptown, the player can return to Crosstown immediately from here. This area has three shops and two bus stops. To proceed to Ocean Heights, the player must defeat Abobo. This area contains arranged music from River City Ransom and Kunio-tachi no Banka. The tunnel leading to Ocean Heights has Merlin's Mystery shop (the hidden shop found in Armstrong Thru-Way in River City Ransom). * Ocean Heights: The area past Downtown, it has three shops, one bus stop and the final dojo. One of these shops is Pop's Sauna, which the player can use to fully replenish their Stamina. To open up the game's final area, the player must defeat Noize, the area's boss. This is accomplished by learning information about her to receive VIP tickets for her concert. * Sanwakai Tower: The game's final area, it has one bus stop. The player has to climb the tower and reach its final floor, but they will be unable to fight the boss. First, players must gather explosives to open the boss room. Characters The game uses a wide range of characters from previous games in the Kunio-kun franchise, including forgotten, obscure ones. It also has guest appearances from the Double Dragon series, The Combatribes and even '' Sugoro Quest: Dice no Senshi Tachi'', a Famicom game from Technōs Japan. There are also some original new characters, some of which appear as bosses or shopkeepers. One such character is Demetri, the shopkeeper of Plaid the Impaler in Ocean Heights. He is voiced by Cryaotic. Playable Characters When the player begins the game, they have access to two playable characters: Kyoko and Misako. It is impossible to switch characters after starting the game unless the player quits. After completing the game once, the player will unlock Riki and Kunio. Though it is still not possible to switch characters during gameplay, the player can use the game's drop-in/drop-out feature to switch characters once they unlock these characters. The player that wants to switch characters quits the game, then rejoins with another character. Like in River City Ransom: Underground, each character is unique in the way they perform their attacks and special moves, but they have the same usage (Kyoko and Misako learn the Ground Pound at level 2, they stomp the enemy with their feet, while Riki and Kunio learn the Ground Punch, they punch enemies that are on the ground). The moves are listed in the order that they are unlocked (starting from leveling up, then moves they can purchase in shops). At level 6, characters learn the ability to use downed enemies as weapons, which they can grab in the same way as the would any weapon. Kyoko Cute, cheerful and bubbly, Kyoko is Misako's friend for life and Riki's girlfriend. She is voiced by Kira Buckland. Kyoko first debuted in Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka as Riki's girlfriend, a role she also had in River City: Tokyo Rumble. Misako Kunio's hot-blooded girlfriend, snarky, impulsive and always ready for a fight. Kayli Mills provides her voice in the game. Misako's first appearance in the Kunio-kun franchise was in Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu: Soccer Hen as the manager of the soccer club. She then made an appearance in Nekketsu Kōkō Soccer Bu: World Cup Hen and Kunio-kun no Nekketsu Soccer League in that same role. Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka was the first game in which she appeared as Kunio's girlfriend (though she kissed Kunio in the ending of Soccer Hen). Riki Kunio's rival, closest friend and Kyoko's boyfriend. Much calmer and stoic than Kunio, he lets his legendary stone fists do the talking. Kaiji Tang voices him in the game. Riki's first appearance in the Kunio-kun franchise was in Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, where he was the first boss of the game. He and Kunio first joined forces in Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, and they become friends at the end of that game. Kunio The hot-blooded tough guy with a good heart and Misako's boyfriend. He has been in multiple fights and sports competitions, which has made him an infamous hero. He is voiced by Greg Chun in the game. Kunio is the eponymous protagonist of the Kunio-kun franchise. Although he and Misako were first seen together (and kissed) in Soccer Hen, Kunio-tachi no Banka is the first and only game in which Misako is referred as his girlfriend. Supporting Characters During the game, the player will run into various non-playable characters, which gets them started on some of the area's quests. * Burnov: Burnov acts as the bouncer to Noize's concert. He will only allow Kyoko and Misako through if they can get him VIP passes. Burnov is a guest character from the Double Dragon series. This is his first appearance in the Kunio-kun franchise. * Godai: A weird guy with knowledge of what's happening in River City. He follows Kyoko and Misako around the city and provides them with various quests in each area. Voiced by Sean "Jacksepticeye" McLoughlin. Godai's first appearance in the Kunio-kun franchise was in Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, where he was an optional boss. He is one of the most popular characters in the franchise with fans and the staff, as he was the first Downtown Nekketsu character to show up in other games (Nekketsu Hockey Bu and Nekketsu! Street Basket: Ganbare Dunk Heroes). * Hiroshi: Kunio's best friend who is often targeted by the local gangs, this time he is not in harm's way at least. He helps Kyoko and Misako in Crosstown to get inside its mall. Voiced by Kyle McCarley. Hiroshi's role in the Kunio-kun franchise differs from game to game. His first appearance in the series was in Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, where he was beaten by local gangs in the arcade version or kidnapped in the Famicom version. He played similar roles in other Kunio-kun games made by Kishimoto. In the Sports Club games, Hiroshi is described as Kunio's longtime friend and is a member of the dodge ball club. * Kaori: An acquaintance of Kyoko and Misako who is in Uptown, waiting for Noize's concert. She helps Misako and Kyoko by providing information on Noize, which allows them to gain VIP passes to the concert. A character named Kaori first appeared in Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey Bu: Subette Koronde Dairantō. She was a Nekketsu High School student and a member of its newspaper club. She watched the exploits of the Hockey club and had an interest on its captain Yōichi. Nekketsu Hockey Bu was Kaori's only appearance in the Kunio-kun franchise. * Mihoko: Another acquaintance of Kyoko and Misako who they rather spend no time with. Like Kaori, she has information on Noize that can help the girls receive VIP passes to Noize's concert. A character named Mihoko appeared in Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun: Bangai Rantō Hen, a sequel to Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun for the Game Boy. She only appeared in the game's intro, where the game's antagonist attempted to steal her away, only for Hiroshi to intervene. Mihoko made no further appearances in the Kunio-kun franchise after that. * Naritaka: A rough and tough kid training Downtown to become as strong as his hero, Riki. He is voiced by Nathan Sharp. Naritaka is one of the members of the Hanazono High School Dodge Ball Club Team in Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu for the Famicom. The character is likely named after Naritaka Nishimura, a former Technōs Japan programmer. The character was infamous in that game for being able to perform his aerial Super Shot from the outer court. The character was ignored since, in favor of the character of the same name as the programmer who first appeared in Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari. * Yōko: Another acquaintance of Kyoko and Misako. Once she sees the picture of Kunio and Riki's kidnapping, she provides Kyoko and Misako with information from Hibari, as the kidnappers seem to be wearing clothes made by her. Yōko is the captain of the Yurigaoka Girls High School's Hockey Club and the chairman of the school's Magical Club in Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey Bu: Subette Koronde Dairantō. Yōko's second appearance in the Kunio-kun franchise (and the first time she appeared in a game released in the West) was River City Super Sports Challenge ~All Stars Special~, were she serves as the cheerleader and manager of the Yurigaoka Girls team. Both that game and the previously released River City Super Sports Challenge featured teams from her school, but she was not playable in them. Enemies Like in River City Ransom: Underground, the enemies in the game have their own fighting styles. There are 11 enemy types and each comes with multiple colored variations that are stronger. When the last enemy in an area is beaten to the point that he/she will be stunned, they will stop fighting and beg to be spared. The player can choose to recruit the enemy, who can be called by the player to assist with an attack. A recruit is shown to the right of the character's Stamina, they have their own health meter in the form of hearts. Stronger variations of enemies have more hearts. If a recruit is attacked, they will stop their action and lose one heart. When a recruit loses all of their hearts, the player loses their recruit, but receives experience as if they defeated an enemy. If players recruit an enemy, they gain no money or experience from them. Enemies will always be in a new area once a player enters them. The number of enemies in the area and what type of enemies show up is fixed, though enemies might have a different color variation. The number of enemies in an area is the same regardless of the number of players. The defeated enemies already populating an area will grant money and experience to the player. If players decide to loiter in the same area instead of moving to a new area, more enemies will eventually spawn from the entrances and exits of an area. These enemies might be stronger variations of the enemies that the player previously defeated, or enemies that normally do not appear in that area. The player will also be attacked by a greater number of enemies. These group of enemies do not reward the player with experience and drop a small amount of money. This is to encourage players to keep moving to different areas and to increase the challenge of recruiting the stronger variations of each enemy. * Georgios: A lowlife miscreant who learned to fight on the streets, he can be recognized by his pompadour. When called in to assist, he uses a lunging kick that knocks enemies down and far from the player. Has five variations: Steve, Reggie and Rogers. The stronger red variation is Farrokh, whose soul and skin have been strengthened by the streets of River City. Chaim is the deadly and undead variation. * Reina: A girl delinquent, she performs a rising whirlwind kick when called in to assist. She has five variations: Hinata, Hannah and Ichika. Nen is the stronger red variation and is their leader. The undead variation is Vesper. * Seirai: A student of River City who loves to fight dirty. In his assist attack, he hurls sand at an enemy. This cannot be blocked and stuns the enemy in place. He comes in five variations: Kayden, Katsu and Malhar. The red variation is Mel, who is both their leader and also leads a school band. Grendel is the undead variation. * Linnea: An agile cheerleader that fights using kicks and her pom-poms. When players call her in for an assist, she uses a diving kick. Her first three variations are Chara, Ashanti and Colleen. Her red variation is Midori, the leader of cheerleaders. Rachel is the undead variation. * Waver: A boss character from Sugoro Quest: Dice no Senshi Tachi, a board-style video game released for the Famicom by Technōs Japan. Described as a bizarre gambler who takes high risks, Waver uses a strong wind-up punch that knocks enemies down when called in to assist. Her cousin Exie is her stronger, red variation. Chance is her third, final and undead variation. * Linda: The enemy character from the Double Dragon series. Linda fights using her whip, which she also uses when called by the player to assists. She whips the ground, launching enemies upward. Her two variations are Neo Linda (red) and Mecha Linda (undead). * Saito: A police officer on the Sanwakai's payroll. He attacks with his baton and tear gas, the latter is the attack he performs when the player calls for his assistance. Tear gas stuns the enemy in place much like Seirai's sand attack. Has five variations: Onishi, Nomura and Matsui. Fujimoto is the River City police chief and their leader, the stronger red variation. Nakamura is the undead version. * Dwayne: A big yet very agile masked wrestler, Dwayne attacks using heavy kicks and a improved version of the Acro Circus, which is the move he performs when the player tags him in. He has five variations: Leon, Aurelien and Szatkowski. The red variation is Oscar and the undead variation is Hellwig. * Trash: The third stage boss from The Combatribes. He attacks by spinning with his hammer or striking down with it. When called in to assist, he strikes from above with his hammer, knocking enemies in place. His two variations are his brother Garbage (the red variation) and the undead Scum. * D4-VID: A character based on AboreAbore in River City Girls, one of the bosses from Double Dragon II: The Revenge. He is a giant robot from the future who attacks with an extending metal arm and grenades. When called in to assist the player, he attacks with his extended metal arm. He has five variations: 64-RC14, J4-M35 and CH-R15. The red variation is J3-R3MY and the final undead variation is H4-YD3N, a magically enhanced robot. * Fudo: The male martial artist working for Sabuko's version of the Sanwakai. He can throw fireballs, which he uses when called in to assist. They are only fought in Sanwakai Tower. He has five variations: Hisoka, Katashi and Hiromi. Sabuko's left-hand man Masaaki is the red variation and Osamu is the undead variation. * Akari: Sabuko's henchwomen, martial artists who use knives as weapons. When called in to assist, they throw them in midair. Has five variations: Harumi, Hideko and Maiko. The red variation is Momoe, Sabuko's right hand lady in the organization. Shinobu is the undead variation. Bosses Each area of the game has one boss, which needs to be defeated to be able to access the next area. With the exception of the final boss, bosses can only be fought once. * Misuzu: A big, imposing and powerful sukeban well known and feared for her hulking presence. She has taken a part-time job on the River City High's Defense Force. She is the game's first boss, fought at the entrance of River City High and is voiced by Laila Berzins. Misuzu's first appearance in the Kunio-kun franchise is in Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, were she was the game's third and most difficult boss. She was also a boss in Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, and was an ally of Kunio in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Yamada: A childhood friend of Kunio, Yamada begin to practice the dark arts after a heartbreaking incident. These dark arts appear to grant him telekinetic powers. He is the game's second boss, fought in the roof of a building currently being built in Crosstown and is voiced by Griffin Puatu. Yamada was the final boss of Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari. In that game, the fact that he had evil powers was considered a joke and after his defeat, he became a lackey of Tōdō Mamoru, who also took his position as Student Council President of Reihō Academy (Yamada transferred to Meian High School after his defeat). Although he has access to his telekinetic art Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari EX, it is not until River City: Rival Showdown that Yamada is retroactively re-imagined as a cold-blooded and evil mastermind with dark powers, who aims to take control of Japan to rival Kunio. * Hibari: THE fashion designer in River City, anybody who's anybody wears or wants to wear her brand. She has a creepy look and appears to be full of herself, and requires a very particular form of payment for her services. She is a new character in the Kunio-kun franchise and is voiced by Mary Josephine Hanson. She is the game's third boss, located in Uptown. * Abobo: A massive brute who has been causing trouble for years, known to kidnap people for money but takes on other odd jobs to make ends meet, including security and appearing in educational videos shown around local high schools. He acts the game's fourth boss, fought in Downtown. Patrick Seitz provides his voice in the game. Abobo is a guest character from the Double Dragon series, he has made multiple cameos in the Kunio-kun franchise since River City: Tokyo Rumble. The character later appeared in River City Ransom: Underground, another game in which Bannon Rudis previously worked on. The character Mordov from Dodgeball Bu was originally named Abobo while being designed. * Noize: A street tough rock star revisiting River City for a one-night-only concert in Ocean Heights. She was a friend of Kyoko named Nozomi, the two went to the same elementary school. However, Kyoko was only in the school for a month before she was expelled from the school for stealing basketball hoops, something that Noize was unaware of. She is the game's fifth boss, fought in Ocean Heights. She is a new character voiced by Erika Harlacher. Megan McDuffee provides Noize's singing voice. Although there are many characters named Nozomi in the Kunio-kun franchise, Noize is a completely new character. * Sabuko: Sabu's daughter, who is leading the Sanwakai in his absence. Unlike Sabu, who uses a firearm, Sabuko is a martial artist who fights using a katana and elemental ki attacks using various stances. Sabuko is a new character in the Kunio-kun franchise, the game's final boss and is voiced by Xanthe Huynh. * Hasebe & Mami: The cooler, more popular and stylish rivals to Misako and Kyoko, Hasebe was a classmate of both Kunio and Yamada and is friends with Mami, who is acquainted with Riki. According to Misako and Kyoko, Hasebe and Mami believe that they are dating Kunio and Riki. Hasebe is voiced by Cristina Valenzuela and Mami is voiced by Sarah Williams. Hasebe and Mami debuted together in the Kunio-kun franchise in Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari. Hasebe was the heroine of the game and of the Downtown Nekketsu series, while Mami was the damsel-in-distress and the girlfriend of Riki, kidnapped by the Double Dragon brothers. Both Hasebe and Mami went to the same middle school as Kunio and Yamada. Hasebe acted as a love interest and damsel-in-distress in Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki, she played the role of Okoto and was kidnapped much like Mami. River City Girls is the first and only game in the franchise were Hasebe shows feelings for Kunio (and he reciprocates in kind). Mami, although a sophomore student like Kyoko, is Riki's second girlfriend. She debuted first (1989, Kyoko debuted in 1994), but Kunio is a sophomore when Riki is dating Kyoko, while he is a senior when Riki is dating Mami. Cameos Many characters from past franchises of Technōs Japan, including the Kunio-kun and Double Dragon franchise and The Combatribes video game, have cameos in the game. Some characters are involved in the game's plot, handling quests to Kyoko and Misako, while others are shopkeepers or store clerks. Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun * Shinji is the store clerk of Attire Fire in Uptown. He is voiced by Ross O'Donovan. * Kumiko, voiced by Anna Brisbin, runs Pop's Sauna in Ocean Heights. * Kenji from Super Dodge Ball for the Neo Geo gives a quest to Kyoko and Misako in Downtown, which is required to progress through the game. Rcg shinji.jpg|Shinji Rcg kenji.jpg|Kenji Rcg kumiko.jpg|Kumiko Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu * The shopkeeper of Legal Drugs in Downtown is Braver, one of the players of the Hero Team (the team made of robots) in Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu: Kyōteki! Dodge Senshi no Maki. Downtown Nekketsu * Reika runs Vest Friends in the Crosstown Mall and is voiced by Victoria Holden. * Onizuka is in Downtown as the clerk for Pay Lots. * Nishimura is voiced by SungWon Cho. He runs Book Bistro in Downtown. * Momozono runs Cream Dream in Crosstown. * Todo (also Downtown's Mayor) staffs Merv Burger in Crosstown. * Aihara (in her role of Omon from Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki) is in Ocean Heights as the host for Chic Buffet. * Saori (Gōda's sister) runs Amy's Candy in Crosstown Mall. * During one of Godai's quest in Downtown, the player will find Benny and Clyde. Rcg reika.jpg|Reika Rcg nishimura.jpg|Nishimura Rcg onizuka.jpg|Onizuka Rcg todo.jpg|Todo Rcg momozono.jpg|Momozono Rcg omon.jpg|Aihara Rcg bennyclyde.jpg|Benny and Clyde Double Dragon * Jimmy Lee (voiced by Arin Hanson) and Billy Lee (voiced by Dan Avidan) run a dojo in Crosstown and Ocean Heights, respectively. * Marian has a store Downtown, Swaggage. * Kodani is in charge of Boy Toys in Downtown. * Skullmageddon runs the Pawn Shop in Uptown, which Kyoko and Misako need to visit to progress through the game. Sean Velasco reprises his voice role for the character. Rcg marian.jpg|Marian The Combatribes * Bullova is in the Crosstown Mall and acts as the shopkeeper for Wardrobe. * Martha Splatterhead runs Lucky Penne in Ocean Heights. She is voiced by Erika Ishii. Rcg bullova.jpg|Bullova Rcg splatterhead.jpg|Splatterhead Codes, Secrets & Bugs Unlocking Kunio and Riki Completing the game once will unlock Kunio and Riki in the save file in which the game was completed. Kunio and Riki start the game at Level 1 and have no accessories or money. Rcg_boys.jpg Maxed Stamina Bug Stamina maxes out at 39, however on the Pause Menu, the meter will not increase to full. Book Bistro Item Bug To use weapons infinitely without having them break, characters need to have the books from Book Bistro in their inventory (these are sold by Nishimura in Downtown). However, due to a bug, Kyoko, Kunio and Riki do not benefit from this effect. To fix this, the items must be in Misako's inventory. She is the only character who benefits from the items and having them in her inventory also grants the bonus to the others, but they must also have the items in their inventory. Regional differences Although the game only has English voice acting, the Japanese script makes changes to some scenes: * Instead of being in detention, Misako and Kyoko are taking supplementary lessons before the game begins, since detention is not actually practiced in Japanese schools. * Mr. Rudis, the math teacher in the first cutscene (named after Bannon Rudis), is named Mr. Kawakami. Kawakami was the coach of the Nekketsu High School Baseball Team in Downtown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari: Yakyū de Shōbu da! Kunio-kun. He was a math teacher and was selected as coach for the team for this reason, even though he knew very little of the sport itself. * The ending of the game reveals that Kyoko and Misako are not actually dating Riki and Kunio, the boys are not on friendly terms with the girls and are instead dating Mami and Hasebe. They leave to spend time with their girlfriends while ignoring the former pair of girls, angering them. The Japanese script changes the dialogue in the ending, making Riki and Kunio refer to the latter pair's bodies which angers Kyoko and Misako. The new secret ending as of version 1.1 unites both regions with Riki and Kunio offering to take Kyoko and Misako out on a date while apparently having no recollection of Mami and Hasebe instead. Trivia * River City Girls is the first game in the franchise in which Hasebe, Mami, Misako and Kyoko interact with one another. The first time all four characters appeared together in a game was River City Super Sports Challenge ~All Stars Special~. They also appear together in River City Melee: Battle Royal Special, but they never cross paths in the storyline. Hasebe and Misako appeared together in Kunio no Oden, but the two did not interact in that game either. *The brick wall background in the mode select screen has graffiti that reads "Crash 'n the Boys" as reference to one of the localized Kunio games, but said writing is partially hidden by Misako's razz face and the selection items. * Dwayne and the rest of the masked tiger wrestlers that appear as enemies in the game are based on Toraichi and Toraji, the Tiger Brothers and final bosses of Nekketsu Kakutō DensetsuThe inspiration behind the tiger masked wrestlers in the game.. * Even though he is Downtown's Mayor, Tōdō also happens to act as a clerk for Merv Burgers (likely pretending to be one of their staff, as one of his plans to defeat Kunio through underhanded means). * The shopkeeper in Downtown's Cart Mart is run by James Montagna and Tomm Mullet (aka Kawaii James and Tomm), one of the staff from WayForward Technologies. * The clerk in Discount Sushi is Almaz Gold, a new character. He is originally supposed to be one of the bosses before he was reduced to an NPC role. * The shopkeeper in Crosstown's Fasteez is Assistant Director, Bannon Rudis himself. * There are a total of 10 unique pedestrians found in River City. **Three are found in Downtown; one next to Cart Mart, the other (Kay's OC) is near the Robot Store, and the last is outside Attire Fire. **Three are found in Crosstown; two of them are located outside the house where Godai is first met (the two are Ross and Arin, both members of Game Grumps), and the other, outside of Cream Dream as one of her customers **Four are in Ocean Heights; two are found at the starting area (playing with a cat), one is found at the beach near the shack, and the other is riding a roller coaster in the Amusement Park. * One of the generic (non delinquent) students has a very tall hairstyle, he is found at River City High's rooftop, and later as one of Noize's fans lining up for her concert outside the Yacht. * As noted above the Regional dfferences this marks the second time Mr. Kawakami makes a second appearance in this game, 26 years after the release of Downtown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari: Yakyū de Shōbu da! Kunio-kun. ** Coincidentally, Mr. Rudis bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Kawakami (hence his name change in the Japanese version). * Originally Sugata was supposed to make an appearance in this game, however the team behind it was unable to use him, as a result Naritaka was created as a homage to him. Thus explaining why the two are similar in personality (the difference being the person that they admire). ** Also he is the only NPC to face away from the player whenever they approach him from the front. A nod to Baseball Nekketsu's ending where Sugata does the same to Momozono. * In response to criticism of the original game's twist ending, version 1.1 adds a new secret ending where Kunio and Riki recognize Misako and Kyoko as their girlfriends and offer to take them on a date. Certain controls and glitches were also altered. * Located in the files reveals that there are two unused shopkeepers, Gōda and Raphael, the former would run a Gym (going by his towel) while the latter would run a clothing store. ** It is possible that these two are supposed to run Crosstown's Dojo, and Downtown's Swaggage respectively (as according to WayForward's debut announcement they're going to feature classic characters from River City) before introducing more characters from Double Dragon, thus Gōda and Raphael were replaced by Jimmy Lee and Marian respectively later during development. *When healing items (or services like the sauna) are consumed, the character who uses them always makes a unique chewing sound, regardless if the item used was food, drink, medicine or a trinket. This serves as an homage to Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, in which Kunio and Riki are visually depicted to consume items in one gulp when inside a shop, including plates, glasses, and other containers that had the item in question. Gallery Artwork River City Girls.jpg|Promotional art seen in the Japanese Official website (w/o letters and headings) Rcg countdown1.jpg|Arc Systems countdown art Rcg countdown2.jpg|Ditto River City Girls Halloween.jpg|WayForward's Halloween Celebration (2019) See also * River City Girls/Fan art Screenshots File:Rcg_title.jpg|Title Screen. File:Rcg_menu.jpg|File select screen. File:Rcg_mode.jpg|Mode select screen. File:Rcg_settings.jpg|Settings screen. File:Rcg_key.jpg|Keyboard mapping screen. Keyboard mapping cannot be done, however. File:Rcg_charaselect.jpg|Character select screen. Videos File:River City Girls - Teaser Trailer File:「熱血硬派くにおくん外伝River City Girls」ティザーPV File:あーくなま定期便【2019年7月号】 File:River City Girls Character Spotlight Misako File:River City Girls Character Spotlight - Kyoko File:River City Girls 27 Minute Gameplay, Showcase and Walkthrough File:ArcLive - Episode 51 River City Girls with Special Guest Kayli Mills & Adam Tierney File:River City Girls Official Launch Trailer Reviews * Destructoid * NintendoSoup Switch Review * NintendoLife Switch Review * Seafoam Gaming PS4 Review * Gamers Heroes * Switchaboo Switch Review * Starburst Magazine Review * Análisis, HobbyConsolas (Spanish) * Gaming Guardian (Spanish) External links * Official site (English) * Official site (Japanese) * Soundtrack * WayForward Unleashes River City Girls Details * River City Girls Beats Down The Doors In Stylish, Old-Cool Glory (HappyGamer * How River City Girls Brings Both Freshness and Familiarity to the Kunio-Kun Series — An Interview With Director Adam Tierney * RPGamer River City Girls Interview with Bannon Rudis * River City Girls launches September 5 for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC * The River City Girls Take To The Streets In September * WayForward and Arc System Works Announce River City Girls * Arc System Works and WayForward announce River City Girls References Category:Spin-off Category:River City Category:Arc System Works Category:WayForward Category:Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun